Below--an article about my neighborhood. Which of these guys is the "good" guy? Consider first, it is a given that a Republican WILL win the seat, which Republican is telling the truth? (Or does that fact that both are Republicans mean that neither can possibly manage that?)Money war marks Eastside council race
By Ben Szobody • STAFF WRITER • May 5, 2008 • GREENVILLE NEWS
A Republican money battle is taking shape in the bustling Eastside County Council district where political newcomer Brad Medcalf is challenging one-term incumbent Jim Burns on one of the county’s fundamental debates — how to handle growth.----------------
Burns’ support of a tree conservation law, a countywide growth plan and traffic impact studies for new development has drawn both the ire of some developers and the praise of emerging resident groups formed to fight what they consider ill-suited construction projects.
Medcalf said Burns hasn’t adequately dealt with growth-related problems like traffic congestion, and that he’ll make personal property rights more prominent in the growth debate. He ran unsuccessfully for the county’s independent Planning Commission last year with the support of local homebuilders.
Included in Medcalf’s first-quarter fundraising report: 39 donors in development-related businesses, contributing a third of his $22,950 total haul, according to contribution forms filed with the state Ethics Commission.
Medcalf had more than 130 donors total, which he said is a sign of diverse support from people mostly within the district. He said he’s now at more than $30,000.
Burns’ contribution list for the same period totaled $2,000 from three donors — Rescom Construction, Erwin and Nancy Maddrey and Velda Hughes — though he said this week he was just getting started and now has more than $30,000 in total contributions.
Burns said he’s not surprised at Medcalf’s totals, because he said developers have told him that they intended to fund an opponent.
"I don’t think District 21 wants another politician who’s deep in the pockets of developers," Burns said.
Medcalf said he can’t help who contributes to his campaign out frustration with the incumbent, and that Burns’ own fundraising invitations have shown a preponderance of downtown Greenville supporters from outside the district.
Burns said more than half of his contributions as well as the people on his "host committee" come from inside District 21.
At stake is the relatively small council district straddling interstates 85 and 385 and including Woodruff, Pelham and Garlington roads — all sites of recent high-profile zoning disputes pitting major developers against highly organized citizen groups.
On Medcalf’s first-quarter donor list: developers Chris Hack and Ron Johnson, builders Rick Quin and Jeff Johnson and real estate professionals Keith Schemm, Paul C. Aughtry, Gordon Seay, Johnny Flynn, E.F. Dupree Jr., Al Hagood, David Dempsey, Greg Huff, C. Dan Joyner Jr., Matthew Carter, Philip Wilson, Reggie Bell, Gordon Gibson, Reba Bahan, Jon Good and Hunter Gibson.
Lobbyist Susan Hoag, project manager Greg Garvey, contractors Stewart Watson and Tom Henderson, engineers Larry Kendall, Robbie Compton and John Rollins, architects Ron Geyer, Ed Ziegler and Jack Rincon and several real estate, development or construction firms are also listed.
Also listed are 19 retirees, 16 in finance or insurance-related businesses, 10 in the medical industry, six attorneys and six in sales, according to his report.
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